‘It was such a blast.’ Penn head football coach Cory Yeoman retiring after 21 seasons

MISHAWAKA — Chris Geesman would say he never gave advice to Cory Yeoman, but the pupil was always paying attention when his mentor spoke.

One of the lessons learned: you’ll know when it’s time to retire.

For Yeoman, that decision came Thursday.

After 40 years as a coach with the Penn football program – 19 as an assistant under Geesman and 21 as a head coach – Yeoman announced he was hanging up the whistle. He will also be retiring as a teacher at Penn at the end of the school year.

“I was talking to coach Geesman (Thursday), and he said the very same thing; he said, ‘I can tell, and you’re ready,’” Yeoman said. “He said, ‘Are you sad?’ and I said, ‘Yeah. It’s weird, I know this is the right thing,’ and he said, ‘I felt the very same way.’ It rips your heart out that this phase of your life is over because it was such a blast.”

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It wasn’t an easy decision for Yeoman, who’s dedicated most of his life to the Penn football. He grew up around the program with his dad, Wally, serving as an assistant coach under Geesman.

Yeoman played for Penn, becoming an all-state defensive tackle in the 1979 season. He went onto have a collegiate career at Miami (OH) before returning to Penn to join Geesman’s staff for the 1984 season. Yeoman was part of four state championships under Geesman in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 2000.

Penn head coach Cory Yeoman during the Penn vs. Crown Point regional championship football game Friday, Nov. 10, 2023 at Penn High School in Mishawaka.

He was inducted into the Indiana High School Football Hall of Fame in 2005, the first Penn football player to receive that honor.

“Sneaking around as a little kid, trying to listen through the vents of my dad and coach Geesman talking in the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/honor-penn-head-football-coach-201740906.html

Author : South Bend Tribune

Publish date : 2024-02-08 20:17:40

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